Natsuko Toda

Movie Subtitling with Natsuko Toda

Interview series with Japan’s most renowned translator of foreign films and interpreter for Hollywood stars, Natsuko Toda

Interview by Miyuki Kawai

TJ: What do you think is the future of subtitling?TODA: There are not so many subtitlers anymore, and recently people have come to prefer dubbed movies. I believe subtitling will survive, but the number of subtitled movies will decline in the future.

TJ: That’s true. But isn’t it also true that the number of minor movies or TV programs to be subtitled has been increasing?TODA: Yes, but the payment is very low even though it requires the same amount of effort.

TJ: Don’t aspiring subtitlers sometimes say, “I want a job even if I don’t get paid?”TODA: Yes, they do. I thought exactly the same thing when I was young.

TJ: Do you have any advice for them?TODA: Inexperienced subtitlers tend to make self-indulgent sentences. Even if they research and understand the story deeply, it is meaningless if the audience does not have background information and cannot understand it. It’s bad when you can’t follow the story by reading the subtitles only. Subtitlers have to be objective with an open mind and have good sense. Beginners lack that point of view.

TJ:Can you describe the typical process you follow in translating and subtitling a movie?TODA: Subtitlers no longer watch movies in a viewing room like they used to. When we create subtitles for a movie, we separate sentences using slashes, called “Hako,” by making sentence sections based on when the actor or actress takes a break in speaking and based on a certain amount of time that has passed. Each Hako is given a sequence number. Then the Hako-marked script is sent to a film lab to make a spotting list that indicates the sequence number and its duration. Japanese subtitles are then Movie Subtitling with Natsuko Toda made for each Hako based on the spotting list. Traditionally, four Japanese characters per one second is the maximum the audience can read on the screen. Therefore, the number of characters in a subtitle is limited according to the duration of Hako. Nowadays, I do this process from my home with my computer instead of creating the Hako in a viewing room. Technically, the subtitling process has changed continuously, but the art of translation does not change.

TJ:Subtitlers are no longer locked up in a viewing room?TODA: Spielberg once asked me to subtitle in a room in Hollywood in order to keep it secret, but that was only once. Now scripts and images are sent to me digitally. Details have changed but the job itself has not changed. I still work from home as before, but now I use my computer for subtitling.

TJ: Do you still watch movies just for fun? What are some of your favorite movies and why?TODA: Frankly speaking, I have found few interesting movies recently. Have you seen movies in 3D or CG animated films such as superhero movies? Young people love them but I have no interest in them at all. They go by too quickly and leave you with nothing after watching for two hours. I can’t even remember the story. I think they are not worthy of being called films. But now they are the mainstream. I will go to see movies of substance, but not as often as when I was younger. I used to watch many, many good movies in my early days, and I think that’s enough. I don’t want to see movies featuring monkey tricks. Of course there are still some good movies, and I watch what I want. Young directors tend to make movies for young people, so I like ones by older directors such as Eastwood or Scorsese. I can understand movies made by directors in their 70s or 80s because we are of the same generation. The quality of their movies is very high without the help of 3D.

TJ: What about “Hugo,” which is a 3D movie by Scorsese?TODA: It was great. Whether it was 3D or not, it was wonderful because it told us about Georges Méliès’ great movie history. I don’t say I dislike young directors, but their movies don’t attract my attention. So there is no young director who I favor.

TJ:Can you tell us about a challenging time or situation that occurred in your career and how you got through it?TODA: My early days were challenging. Once you get a break, it is not so challenging, but I waited for 20 years before I got my big break by subtitling for Coppola. Finally, I got a chance to subtitle a major Hollywood movie, and it was vital for me to do a good job. So looking back, that was the most challenging time in my career. Twenty years was such a long time. Of course I was not a pioneer. Great forerunners such as Shunji Shimizu had established the industry, and I succeeded them. But there was no female subtitler before me, so maybe that was the reason I attracted people’s attention. But gender discrimination does not exist in this business. If you do a good job, you will continue getting work.

TJ:Can you tell us about the most exciting day or point of your career? TODA: I think it is “Apocalypse Now.” Before I finally got a chance in my forties, I had never been abroad. Coppola brought me to the movie location in the Philippines and his home in the US. It was my first experience going abroad, and the first job I had hoped for in 20 years. Moreover, it was a significantly great movie. Many things happened and I could make use of the chance. So it was the most dramatic point of my life. tj

Natusko Toda is the most renowned translator of foreign films in Japan, single-handedly creating the subtitles for major Hollywood movies, and serves as an interpreter when foreign celebrities come to Japan for publicity. After graduating from Tsudajuku University in 1958, Natsuko Toda became a secretary for a life insurance company for a year before leaving to find employment related to the movie industry. She began working as an interpreter in a cinema company and became a pupil of Shunji Shimizu who was experienced at subtitling. She made her debut as a translator in 1970 and has been responsible for subtitling over 1000 movies since then.